Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low-cost method for the production of engineered materials from salt/polymer aqueous solutions by which method engineered structures having a broad range of features and properties can be prepared, which features and properties can be preset for a wide range of applications. For example, the method of this invention is suitable for producing continuous thin films which can be utilized as surface protection against harsh environments (temperature, chemical, friction and grinding, etc.), as an electrochemical component, such as for solid oxide fuel cells and electroceramic membranes, porous filters and membranes, and as a surface with desired optical or decorative properties. The method of this invention may also be used to produce spherical granules of polycrystalline materials having good flowability and packing properties, and which are suitable for use as pigments, sorbents, catalysts, or as powders for efficient pressing and sintering into dense materials. The method of this invention may also be used to prepare materials having an engineered pore structure, for example porous ceramics having wide applications as filters, membranes, and chemical sorbents or reactants.
High technology ceramics are known for possessing a combination of good thermal, chemical, mechanical and electronic properties, making them unique for certain technical applications. Their usefulness, however, depends upon the manner in which they are produced, including the characteristics of the ceramic powders used as starting powders which are sintered to produce the ceramic product. In addition, methods for producing such high technology ceramics are generally of high cost due, in part, to the expense and difficulty associated with preparing suitable ceramic powders in large quantities.